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Profiles

Profiles extend the core ADL specification with domain-specific requirements, members, and validation rules. They enable regulated industries and specialized use cases to build on ADL without modifying the core spec.

When to Use Profiles

Use profiles when your agents need to comply with industry regulations (HIPAA, SOC2, PCI-DSS) or organizational governance requirements. Profiles add structured compliance tracking without changing core ADL semantics.

Overview​

A profile is a set of additional requirements and members that extend ADL for a specific domain. When an ADL document declares a profile in its profiles array, it:

  • MUST satisfy all requirements of that profile
  • MAY use members defined by the profile
  • SHOULD be validated against profile-specific rules

Profiles are identified by URIs (e.g., urn:adl:profile:governance:1.0).

Available Profiles​

ProfileIdentifierStatusDescription
Governanceurn:adl:profile:governance:1.0DraftCompliance frameworks, audit trails, enterprise governance
Registryurn:adl:profile:registry:1.0DraftAgent catalog identity, classification, and federation
Portfoliourn:adl:profile:portfolio:1.0DraftAgent relationships and domain membership
Healthcareurn:adl:profile:healthcare:1.0DraftHIPAA compliance, PHI handling, clinical safety, FHIR interoperability
Financialurn:adl:profile:financial:1.0DraftPCI-DSS, SOX, GLBA, MiFID II, AML/KYC compliance

Profile Versioning​

Profiles are versioned independently of the core ADL specification. Each profile declares which ADL versions it is compatible with in its COMPATIBILITY.md file.

  • Profile versions follow Semantic Versioning
  • A profile version remains compatible with ADL versions it declares
  • When ADL introduces breaking changes, profiles release new versions as needed

Proposing a New Profile​

  1. Open an issue using the profile proposal template
  2. Discuss scope, requirements, and target ADL compatibility
  3. Create a directory under profiles/ with:
    • README.md — Scope, status, maintainers
    • COMPATIBILITY.md — ADL version compatibility
    • 1.0/profile.md — Profile specification
    • 1.0/examples/ — Example ADL documents using the profile
  4. Submit a PR for review

Profile Requirements​

Profiles MUST NOT:

  • Redefine core ADL members
  • Conflict with other profiles

Profiles MAY:

  • Add new top-level members
  • Add members to existing objects
  • Define additional validation rules
  • Require specific values for optional members

See Also​